Starbucks’ new CEO led Chipotle’s digital push | Alaska Air invests in next-gen airplane startup

From burritos to coffee: Brian Niccol, who spent the past six years as Chipotle’s CEO, was named CEO of Starbucks on Tuesday. Niccol brings plenty of digital transformation experience with him — and it could come in handy for the Seattle coffee giant, which is facing slumping sales and criticism from former chairman Howard Schultz over its mobile ordering strategy. Read more. 

UW gets $21.1M in cancer research funding: The funding is part of a new $150 million phase of the “Cancer Moonshot” initiative led by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. Read more.

A new $75 million battery research center at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Eastern Washington could help address growing concerns over energy demands driven in part by the AI boom. Read more.

ITpipes, a pipe inspection software company now based in Seattle, raised $20 million. Read more.

If you enjoy rooftop decks, great networking opportunities, and watching the Seattle Mariners make another playoff run — then we’ve got the perfect event for you.

Hot Links:

• Alaska Airlines invested in JetZero, a startup developing a new blended-wing body aircraft with a unique design that integrates the wings and fuselage into a single shape. (Alaska Air)

• Amazon-owned streaming platform Twitch is rolling out video stories. (TechCrunch)

• Kirkland, Wash.-based Inrix launched a new tool to help cities manage curbspace. (Inrix)

• New research from UW computer scientists introduces AI systems that can use video or photos to create simulations to train robots for dynamic environments. (UW News)

• Clark College in Vancouver, Wash., received a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to advance semiconductor industry-related education and training. (Clark College)